Carp Reel - Your Guide To Carp Fishing Reels: What is a Baitrunner or Freespool Carp Reel?

What is a Baitrunner or Freespool Carp Reel?
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Admin on 31/08/2010 22:36:00


A free spool, or ‘Baitrunner’, carp reel is a reel which features a
secondary drag system which can be switched on or off. With the freespool in the
‘off’ position the reel acts as a normal rear drag reel, but in the ‘on’
position, a secondary drag is engaged which allows the spool to run freely when
a fish takes the bait. On lifting the rod and striking, the secondary drag
disengages and you then play the fish on the normal rear drag system.
Shimano’s first free-spool reel, the Aero Baitrunner, first hit the UK in the
late 80s, and has been a firm favourite with carp anglers ever since as the
Baitrunner system allowed the rod and reel to be set up static on rod rests or
pods without fear of the rods being dragged in when a fish took the bait!
The Baitrunner became so popular that many use this name to describe all
freespool carp reels, although the term 'Baitrunner' itself is actually a
Shimano trademark. The original Aero reels were ideally suited to short and
medium distance work, having a low rate of retrieve and spool sizes much lower
than those of a big pit reel. Whilst the reels offered great versatility for
stalking, surface fishing and static bait fishing at medium distance, they
suffered from line twist due to the freespool system, and thus line lay was not
as good as some of the big pit reels of the time.
However, realising that many anglers have a preference for a freespool system,
many big pit reels now come with a freespool facility, and spool sizes have
increased on many of the Baitrunner reels offering improved line lay and casting
ability, allowing you to get the best out of both worlds.